


Precious

by ghostlylittleman



Series: Precious [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Blood and Injury, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:42:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27788437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlylittleman/pseuds/ghostlylittleman
Summary: Sakura is living her best life, at least, she think she is. That is, until she realizes that everything she has ever known is a lie.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hoozuki Suigetsu/Karin, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Sai/Yamanaka Ino
Series: Precious [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033059
Comments: 24
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello reader!  
> This is my first ever fanfiction.  
> Please read away and feel free to leave any comment or idea that might be of interest. I am open to any feedback :)

The pink haired woman stirred in her sleep as she felt a hot and slick tongue glide up the side of her neck. Slowly awakening from her deep slumber, she found herself being weighed down by a huge warm mass above her. The pinkette shuffled a little, trying to get away from whatever was holding her down, still not wanting to open her eyes. As she tried to wiggle her way out from under her captor’s heavy body, she suddenly felt a hot panting breath, a few inches above her face. Immediately realizing what was going on she stilled her movement, her features creasing in disgust.

“Kiba!” the girl whined.

“Whhaaaat...?” The man next to her inquired, his voice groggy from being only half awake.

The girl felt light shuffling next to her.

“Oh fuck! I’m so sorry!”

The stirring suddenly frantic, she felt the weight leave her front, only to quickly be replaced by another. The woman, to her own dismay, slowly opened her heavy lids, emerald eyes meeting warm chocolate ones. The pinkette, unable to stop herself, quirked the side of her mouth in tandem with her left eyebrow. The man perched over her chuckled, the girl joining him in his amusement.

“I thought it was acknowledged between us, that my relationship was with you,” she told the man “not with your dog.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry Sakura,” Kiba answered sheepishly, removing one of his hands he had been using as a support to keep himself from crushing Sakura, to rub at the back of his head. “Akamaru clearly has the hots for you.”

Giggling, the woman glared at him, the glint in her eyes making any seriousness she might have had in her expression vanish. Kiba, finding the woman absolutely adorable in her false anger, dipped his head towards her, his warm lips meeting her soft ones. Sakura’s eyes closed as her hungry lips met his, slowly leaning into the kiss. Their warm mouths moved in sync, both of them getting hungry for more, as the kiss deepened. Kiba shifted on his forearms so that his body was now completely above her and grabbed her hips with his large hands in order to pull her closer, his girlfriend rewarding him with a content moan. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers finding their way into his unruly dark locks, tugging on them slightly, eliciting a grunt from him in return. After a few minutes of playing around however, the man slowly pulled away from her lips. As she opened her eyes to stare up at him with lustful eyes, he felt a pang in his chest. He swiftly pecked her lips with his own, and started speaking softly.

“As much as what we're currently doing is enticing,” he pecked her lips again, “I really need to get going.”

Sakura pouted under him, as he bent down to give her one last kiss on her neck. The kiss however, was cut short when he felt the warm and sticky substance under her chin.

“Oh god,” he turned to glare at his dog, sprawled on the other side of the bed. “For fuck’s sake man, control yourself!”

Akamaru, not at all intimidated by his owner’s frown, lifted his ears playfully and howled. Sakura started laughing.

“If I didn't know better, I’d think you were the dog and he was your owner.” She playfully observed as he turned back to look at her.

“Oh yeah ?” Kiba inquired, raising his eyebrows, “Well if you say so...”

Sakura wasn’t given a chance to move, before her boyfriend licked a long line across her face, leaving a trail of saliva from the left side of her chin to her right eyebrow.

“Oh no you didn’t!” Sakura shrieked.

She sat up in the bed and tried to get a hold of him, as he rapidly scrambled away through the disorderly sheets of the unmade bed, to escape her. The man, to her dismay, was too fast, and before she could get to him, he was already standing at the foot of the bed, clad in his underwear, smiling at her with the biggest smile. Kiba slowly turned his back to her, his eyes leaving her gaze, as he started dressing up. 

“Can’t you tell your boss you’ll come in a little later?” Sakura asked, sitting back in the pile of colored pillows behind her, disappointed he had to leave so early for work, every morning.

She observed as his lean form stretched and moved, to fit into his form fitting black jeans. The man glanced at her over his shoulder.

“You know I’d choose staying with you, over going to the shelter, any day. But the pups need me and I can’t just leave them alone.” 

Her shoulders sagged a little, but perked back up a second after, as she came up with an idea.

“I could come to visit you then! We could get lunch together afterwards.”

She noticed his back stiffen at her comment, but was not able to read his expression, since he still had his back towards her. She had an uneasy feeling about it, but pushed it at the back of her mind.

He eventually straightened himself and turned around, to look back at her. Sakura couldn’t help herself, as she let her eyes wander on his shirtless form, his jeans hanging low on his narrow hips. As her eyes met back with his, he smiled softly.

“You know I can’t take visitors… But I promise I’ll meet you at the clinic during your lunch break,” Kiba replied, smiling sweetly.

Sakura felt her heart give a jolt. She couldn’t help herself but feel warm all over, when he smiled at her like that. Kiba spun around again, to get his shirt, which had been lying on the ground next to her bed. She stared at him and couldn’t look away as his muscles flexed, pulling his shirt over his head. Even after he had turned to face her once again, she didn’t stop her wandering gaze. Catching her in the act, Kiba smirked down at her.

“Like what you see?” he teased, making her cheeks warm up. 

They stayed like that, looking into each other's gazes. The pinkette admiring Kiba’s features, which were curiously soft, despite the hard exterior he chose to display. As she quietly studied his face, the pinkette started pondering on how she had even been able to end up with such a man, in the first place.

_Ino_ , she thought, grateful for her friend. She owed it to her, for being with the man.

_Five months earlier._

_“He’s going to find you so good looking, he won't be able to keep it in his pants!” the blond girl exclaimed, the widest grin plastered to her face, as she watched her friend slitter into a black lace dress the pinkette had bought only hours ago._

_The pink haired woman rolled her eyes at the comment. “Why did I agree to this again?” she inquired._

_“Because you are a fantastically gorgeous woman who really needs to get laid,” the blond answered, her lips growing into an even bigger smile, if that was even possible._

_“Ino!” the now fully dressed woman yelped, glaring at her friend through the mirror she had been looking at herself in._

_“I’m telling you the truth Sakura! How long has it been since the last time you had sex, let alone a boyfriend?”_

_The pinkette stayed quiet as Ino stood up from the bed she had been sitting on, to come and stand next to her, in front of the mirror._

_“Years?” the blond continued, “Decades?”_

_“Oh shut up pig,” Sakura countered._

_They stood in silence, admiring the work the blond had done on her pink haired friend. Sakura had on a tight lace dress, see through across her midsection, with a neckline that dove deep between her small breasts. She was also wearing simple black heels, which she was grateful towards her friend, were only an inch high. Around her neck, she wore a long silver necklace with a small green stone at the end and matching silver earrings. Her pink hair was up in a high bun on the top of her head._

_Sakura felt completely out of her element. She was not used to wearing such revealing outfits. She usually went for cute yet practical. In this outfit, that her friend had generously put together however, she felt… sexy._

_“I look like a stranger,” Sakura whispered._

_“You look attractive and fuckable”, Ino retorted. “Wasn’t that what we were going for? I know what he likes, Sakura, he’s my friend.”_

_“Yeah, but isn’t he going to expect me to dress like that if we, against all odds, end up seeing each other again?”_

_“Sakura, just relax,” the blonde tried to comfort her friend, “If you guys end up connecting, great. If nothing comes out of it, it's also fine. Just go for it, you’re way more desirable than you think”_

_“You're one to talk, weren’t you sleeping around with that genius colleague you work with?”_

_“Who? Shikamaru? Nah, not anymore. Were still friends, but... the sex part wasn’t working out,” the blonde looked away from her friend._

_“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that...” The pink haired woman said. “Is it because of that business trip last week”_

_The blonde looked at her friend in the eyes but didn’t answer. Instead she smiled, taking Sakura’s hand and bringing her to sit on the bed with her._

_“Come here, I’m gonna glam you up with some makeup. You’ll be so desirable, Kiba will be wrapped around your finger in no time.”_

Sakura could still remember the stars in his eyes, the moment she had met up with him at the bar. Everything had flowed so smoothly between them following that evening and she was so happy it had worked out so well in the end. They had seen each other again on several dates after that first one, and had soon become an item.

The pink haired woman stretched and rose from her spot on the bed where she had been sitting in front of Kiba. The man followed her with hungry eyes, as she stood in nothing but her underwear and one of his shirts, which almost reached her knees, as it was way too large for her slender body.

She walked towards him and once in front of him, she pulled his neck down for a kiss. Their lips lingered close to one another as they pulled apart, both pairs of eyes slowly opening.

“See you soon,” he whispered.

They slowly pulled away from one another, Kiba turning to face Akamaru, and patting him on the belly in a friendly manner.

“Come on buddy, we gotta go.”

The dog slowly stood in all of his height on the bed, before stretching his long legs and gracefully hopping down in a loud thud. The three of them made their way out of Sakura’s room, into the hallway, towards the door of the apartment.

“You're sure you don’t want anything to eat? Or at least a cup of coffee?” The pink haired girl inquired.

“Nah, I’m good, they got plenty of food and coffee stacked up for the employees at work. But thanks.” Kiba responded as he put on his black leather coat that had been laying amongst a pile of Sakura’s multicolored coats and scarves, on a wooden bench next to the door.

He reached down for his black sneakers, putting them on, before kissing Sakura on the cheek and opening the door to leave. Sakura waited as her boyfriend and his dog exited her apartment. When they had both finally left, her small graceful fingers reached up, for her warm cheek, where Kiba had just left a kiss, and kept them there, as she stood frozen in front of the now closed door of her apartment.

“Get it together Sakura!” she whispered to herself. It had been so long since she had felt this way and she was so content with the relationship she had with Kiba.

She stood there motionless, a few minutes, before slowly turning around, towards the other end of the hallway, where her small kitchen was. She casually started to make herself some coffee, but stopped in the middle of filling her coffee maker with water. Still feeling sticky all over, she decided to go for a shower, before anything else.

She made her way to her quaint bathroom, which stood right in front of her bedroom, and quickly stripped herself from the limited amount of clothing she had on. She quickly stepped into her shower, immediately opening the hot water faucet, in order to warm herself. When the pleasant temperature of the water hit her back, all the pent up sleep vanished, leaving only a warm and comfortable feeling on her skin. She lingered under the water longer than anticipated, lathering herself with cinnamon scented soap, to scrub off any remainder of Akamaru’s saliva.

As she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a fuzzy orange towel and her hair in a matching, smaller one. She made her way to her unfinished brew and finished preparing it, before pouring it in a colorful mug from the dollar store and going to sit on her couch with a book she had been reading.

Peacefully, she sipped her hot beverage, as she read. Only when her mug was finally emptied, did she stand up to put it back on the counter and go get dressed for work. As she made her way towards her room however, she heard the loud buzz of her phone on the counter and retreated back, to see who was texting her. It was Ino.

_Hey Sak! I know you have a boyfriend now, but you could make some time for your friends sometimes too!_

Another message followed and made her phone buzz again, this time in her palm.

_Just kidding, forehead. Wanna hangout tonight?_

Sakura quickly started typing back.

_No I can’t, I have t_ _—_

The pinkette erased the message she had started to type. Sakura had been going to tell Ino that she couldn't hang out, that she was too tired from her work week but she decided against it. She hadn’t seen Ino in almost two weeks and it was time for her to spend time with her best and _only_ friend. She started typing again.

_Yeah of course, I’ll meet you at your place around 7._

Sakura dropped her phone on the counter and went to her room to put on her scrubs. She slowly made her way back to her kitchen, packed her bag and filled herself a reusable to-go mug, with the leftover coffee. Tying up her work shoes, she made her way to the door, putting on her green wool coat and a deep blue scarf. She locked her door, and walked out of her apartment building, on her way to work.

As she was casually strolling on the sidewalk, lost in her thoughts, on that sunny April morning however, she did not realise she was walking directly into someone.

And coincidently, that someone, in which she had been about to bump into, was too concentrated on getting to work on time and for that matter, he too, did not see the smaller woman right in front of him, as he drew his long strides.

This resulted in an accidental collision between the two, sending Sakura stumbling backwards, as the man swiftly caught her in her fall, with his brisk reflexes. Scared out of her mind, she remained stiff as a statue in his arm, as he slowly pulled her back onto her feet. She stared with round emerald eyes, into his blue ones, that gave off a rather amused expression. The moment she regained her balance on her own two feet, she distanced herself from the stranger awkwardly. She stared down at her feet, as he continued to stare intently at her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, a little uncomfortable. “I didn’t see you.”

“No offence taken. Believe it!” the blond man exclaimed grinning. “See you around Sakura.”

The blond man wearing a bright orange hoodie got around her and swiftly walked away. Sakura, startled by the events, didn’t move from her spot. She stayed stuck in place for a few minutes, before she dared to look behind her, eyebrows drawn together, as she scanned the street for a sign of the mysterious man. But, to her dismay, he was gone. It had happened so fast and she couldn’t help but wonder how the hell did this stranger know her name. _Maybe he is a friend of Ino’s_ , she thought. 

She slowly started walking again, looking around her surroundings, once in a while, to make sure she wasn’t about to bump into another strange man.

When she finally arrived at work, she still hadn’t gotten his face out of her head. She was positive, that she had absolutely no idea who that man was. Sakura had never seen him or heard his voice ever before. _Who the hell is he then? And why does he know my name?_ She wondered, frustrated. This pondering continued on, as she dropped her bag and coat in the employee’s room, checked her appointments for the day and made her way to her first one.

The first half of her day went by pretty quickly, despite her fuzzy mind and, by the time her lunch break came about, she had already treated two colds, a gashing cut on a man’s hand caused by a kitchen knife and three sprained ankles. Although she usually found her work relaxing, albeit the gruesome occurrences, she was not able to keep her mind at rest that day, and was grateful to finally be allowed to rest.

The moment she was done with her last appointment, she closed her folders and went to the employee’s room to pick up her coat and bag. As she made her way to the front of the clinic, she saw that Kiba had already been waiting for her outside. She proceeded to walk across the reception area, before rapidly going down the small staircase in front of the building and finally walking to Kiba, where he had been waiting.

“No Akamaru?” She asked, noticing his lack of furry partner, but still happy to see him.

He looked at her, smiling softly.

“No, he’s not allowed to see you until he learns to behave,” he joked. 

“Wow, you’re jealous of your own dog,” she laughed. “That’s pathetic.”

He smiled down at her as he took her hand and they started walking towards their usual lunch spot. The walk was unusually quiet, even for Sakura who didn’t naturally need a conversation to feel at ease. Kiba looked at her, concerned about her unusually silent state. As he leaned toward her, he was startled to see her eyebrow knotted together in a frown.

“Is everything alright?” he inquired, unaware of if him questioning her was the right approach.

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. He came to halt, standing in front of her and started rubbing her arms in a soothing manner.

“What’s wrong?” Kiba questioned, worry thick in his tone, as he tried to look her in the eyes.

Sakura felt stupid, she didn’t want to sound insane in front of him, but she really was worried. She inhaled deeply.

“I bumped into a stranger who knew my name,” she exhaled in a hushed voice, as if talking to herself.

“What did you just say?” her boyfriend asked her, more roughly than he had intended, making her flinch.

“I walked into a man I had never met before, this morning,” she answered him, looking into his eyes with concern. “He knew my name, Kiba.”

Anxious by what she had just said, Kiba stopped the movement of his hands on her shoulders and clutched them harder unintentionally, she jumped in surprise at the sudden constraint.

“What did this man look like?” He inquired in a restless manner. “Leave no detail out.” 

Sakura could see the panic in his eyes. Confused, she blinked at him a few times.

“H _—_ he was a little taller than you. Maybe a _—_ a n inch or two. He had short blond hair tha _—_ tha t went in all kinds of directions,” she said, bringing her hands to her head, her fingers towards the sky, to imitate the prickly hair. “He ha _—_ had deep blue eyes and these weird scars on his cheeks… Three on each one.”

At that last detail, Kiba’s shoulder relaxed.

“Oh thank god,” he whispered

“Wh _—_ ,” Sakura started, startled by his sudden calmness.

“Fucking Uzumaki,” he muttered under his breath.

“Who?” she asked him, softly. “Do you know him?”

“Y _—_ yeah, he’s… my…” he coughed. “A _—_ a work colleague.”

Kiba straightened his back and let go of her shoulders.

“I talk about you… At work,” he continued. “I probably showed him a picture at some point. So… he apparently recognized you.”

“Ah, you talk about me at work?” she smiled, blushing a little.

He looked at her with blank eyes until he finally shook his head and smiled.

“Yeah of course,” his smile grew wider. “You're my girlfriend.”

She smiled, her cheeks blazing as she felt a warm feeling in her chest.

“Should we go in, now that we know that no one weird is stalking you?” he spoke, his smile not reaching his eyes, as he opened the door of the restaurant they had been standing in front of, prompting her to enter before him.

As she made her way inside, he stood behind her glaring at the street outside of the restaurant, _knowing_ the culprit of Sakura’s earlier worries was undeniably lurking somewhere close.

***

“He’s a fucking idiot!”

“Calm down Kiba, nothing fucking _happenned_ ,” a man, with black hair pulled back in a ponytail, said calmly.

Grunts could be heard and fists could be seen thrown around. The blond man with blue eyes who was the target of these attacks, felt a little guilty, as the black haired man held his assailant back.

“It wasn’t my fault! She walked straight into me, what was I supposed to do?” the blond barked.

“Not call her by her name! She doesn’t fucking _know_ you!” Kiba barked.

“It slipped out!” he responded.

“Shut up or I’ll punch you in the face!” Kiba threatened.

“You’re too slow for that,” the blond stated, matter of factly.

“He has a point,” the third man in the room said, in a bored tone.

“Fuck you Nara”, Kiba shouted, panting. “And fuck you too _dipshit_.”

Kiba shoved the black haired man away from him and left the room, completely overwhelmed. Why was everyone always fucking with him, when all he did was try to do his job properly? He rubbed his face with the palm of his hand and left the building, his dog trailing behind him.

He heard the door open after him, but he was already too far away in his thoughts, to hear what the man in cause of his troubles had to say. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter of Precious. As this is my first ever fanfiction, comments and feedback will be greatly appreciated :)
> 
> Next chapter coming soon ;)
> 
> mocha


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers!
> 
> Thank you so much to the people who left feedback on the first chapter, all the comments were greatly appreciated! 
> 
> I am so happy to present to you all, the second chapter of the Precious series!  
> I hope you all enjoy, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter :)

“An artist?” Sakura said as she raised her eyebrows, the biggest smile plastered on her face. “that’s different.”

“Yeah,” the blond woman sitting across from her on the grey couch said, a fond smile and dreamy eyes flourishing on her soft features. 

“And you met him at work?“ Sakura pondered out loud. “Is he one of you clients?” she questioned.

Ino, just like Sakura, was devoted to helping people. However, whilst Sakura had chosen a more physical approach by becoming a practitioner, Ino possessed a greater appeal for psychology rather than medicine. She had been employed at a small clinic, on the outskirts of town for almost three years, and to the extent of Sakura’s knowledge, her best friend was thriving.

“Sakura! No, he is  _ not _ .” the blond woman screeched, shaking her head vigorously, her face puckering in an expression of pure horror. “He’s a work colleague!”

“You said he was an artist?” Sakura raised an eyebrow, confused.

_ Fuck I didn’t think of that, damn you Sakura and your big brain _ , the blond woman thought. 

“Ye _ — _ Yes! He... is an artist... who works at the clinic,” Ino answered slowly, the wavering in her voice going unnoticed.

“Why would an artist work at a psychological care clinic?” Sakura then carried-on, leaning forward, intrigued by the tasks an artist could be given at such a facility.

_ I should have just kept my mouth shut. Just like Shika told me _ , Ino berated herself, her facial expression showing no sign of her emotional turmoil nonetheless.

Only a week before, she had bickered with the man about the exact same issue. 

_ “Just tell her you’re single, what's so wrong with that?” the dark haired man had asked her, exasperation apparent on his angular features.  _

_ “But I can’t keep lying to her. She’s my best friend and I feel like half the things I tell her are lies,” she had continued, eyebrows drawing together in a frown. _

_ “Half the things you tell her  _ **_are_ ** _ lies, Ino” He had shrugged his shoulders. “Do whatever you want, it's not as if you ever listen to what I say. Just don’t don’t screw up the assignment. You know it’s getting more and more difficult to keep her concealed.” _

Her eyes focusing back on Sakura, Ino formulated an answer in her head, already feeling guilty for once again being dishonest to her most beloved friend.

“He works at the clinic, because he helps with the clients. Especially the ones who went through traumatic events. He guides them through the journey of expressing their feelings... With art,” Ino recited, her heart clenching in remorse.

“That is absolutely heartwarming. He must be such a sweetheart,” Sakura declared, beaming at her friend “Does his art therapy work well with the clients?” she continued, truly interested.

“Oooh yeah… Totally.” 

Ino’s attention was taken away from Sakura, the moment she felt her phone starting to vibrate in the back pocket of her jeans.

“I _ — _ I gotta go to the bathroom, I’ll be back in a minute,” Sakura’s blond friend quickly said as she rapidly stood up, dashing across the living room, towards the bathroom.

The pinkette observed as her friend bolted out of the living room, as she herself, stayed seated on the comfortable couch, sipping on her wine glass, that had been standing on the glass coffee table in front of her. As she waited, she looked around Ino’s apartment, noting how much cleaner her friend's place was from her own. She reminded herself to ask her friend how she managed to keep her place so tidy all the time.

_ Ino is such a great friend, _ Sakura thought, as she patiently waited for her to come back, recalling her chaotic arrival, only two hours prior. She had knocked on her friend’s door, soaked to the bones, from having walked from work to Ino’s place, under the rain. They were in no way far from one another, maybe a ten minutes walk, but it had also been pouring outside. Ino had opened her door, eyes growing in astonishment as she had considered Sakura’s drenched figure on her doorstep. She had immediately ushered her in, not minding the puddles, her pink haired friend was creating on the floor of her apartment and kindly offered her dry clothes, so that she could change out of her own.

“Just give them back to me another time, forehead,” she had said after Sakura’s kind decline. “I’d rather you have to give me back clothes, than you freezing to death. I don’t even wear that shirt anyways.” 

“Thank you, Ino,” Sakura had replied, as she had stripped herself from her uncomfortably sticky clothes, before putting on Ino’s soft leggings and wool shirt. Meanwhile, the blond woman had gone to hang up the pile that was Sakura’s dripping outfit, in her bathroom. When Sakura had finally overcome the shivering induced by her unpleasant stroll, Ino had opened a bottle of red wine, before they had sat themselves on the living room couch, finding themselves chatting away for hours, not a single awkward silence or pause, up until a few minutes ago, when ino had gone to the bathroom.

***

The blonde haired woman quickly closed the door behind her, taking her phone out from her back pocket, she looked at the screen.  _ Why is  _ **_Naruto_ ** _ calling me at such an hour? _ She asked herself, as she tapped on the bright screen to answer the incoming call.

“Hi, Naru _ — _ ,” Ino started, before being rudely interrupted by the blond haired man.

“Hey Ino! How’s it going? You know, since it’s Friday night and you’re off duty, would you like to come to Ichiraku’s with the squad? We're all going, if you’re wondering, except for Sasuke, of course, he’s on duty tonight. Though, he probably chose today, of all days,  _ knowing _ I’d make him come with us otherwise,” the blue eyed man, on the other side of Ino’s receiver, blabbered. He was about to continue, but was cut short by Ino’s irritated tone.

“I’m with Sakura tonight. I can’t come. Sorry.” she uttered, as she rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand, harshly gritting her teeth in slight exasperation.

“Oh... Fuck, sorry. I thought she was already covered tonight,” He answered. “Sasuke you fucking lia _ — _ ,” he muttered, before being interrupted once again by his blond haired friend.

“She is, but I’m her best friend. Her  _ only friend _ … For all I know. I’m spending the evening with her,” Ino’s voice soft, rather than the harsh it had been only moments ago. “ I  _ really _ can’t come tonight. Sorry, again.”

“Alright, say hi to Sakura for me!” Naruto exclaimed, rendering the blond woman speechless.

“Wha _ — _ wha _ —...  _ What do you mean? She inquired, scared of the response the blond man was going to give her, very much hoping he was only messing around. 

“Ha! I’m kidding! I just bumped into her earlier today and accidentally said her name,” he started, not knowing the woman on the other side had started fuming with anger. “Inuzuka wants to rip me apart now, no worries, he won’t get to me. Believe it!”

“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” Ino gritted through her teeth, only barely stopping herself from yelling to the man.

“Everything is  _ fiiine. _ I was late, okay? Aaand, I was scared of granny Tsunade. I wasn’t watching where I was going and then... Paf!” Naruto tried to explain.

“Yeah, Kiba and lady Tsunade are not the only ones who are going to rip you apart! Add me to the list too, you  _ idiot, _ ” Ino stated, venom in her voice.

“I said that everything was  _ fine _ . Kiba already took care of it. To Sakura’s knowledge, I work with her  _ boyfriend _ at the  _ shelter _ .”

“Fine,” Ino replied, her tone still dry, but somewhat less angry than it had been.

“It was  _ nice _ to see her, ino,” Naruto voiced in a nostalgic manner. “It's been  _ fourteen years _ , how did you expect me to react?”

“I know, I’m sorry,” she responded. “It’s hard for me, I can’t imagine how  _ you _ must be feeling.”

“Yeah... Well, see you Mon—day?” Naruto said, uncertainty in his tone. “You have the weekend off?”

“Yes. See you Monday Naruto,” the blond woman replied before ending the call in one tap on her brightly lit screen.

Ino stared at her phone for a few seconds, a pounding ache in her chest. She knew Naruto, and the others for that matter, missed Sakura deeply. Their situation was not ideal, she  _ knew _ that. But it was also necessary. For Sakura, and for everyone else.

Ino put her phone back where it belonged, in the back pocket of her denims, and walked back to the living room, where Sakura was still waiting, sitting on the couch. The pink haired woman was hunched over one of her fashion magazines, eyebrows raised and an amused glint in her eyes.

“Found an outfit you’d like to wear?” Ino said playfully.

“Not in a thousand years! I’ll stick to my jeans and blouses, thank you very much,” Sakura responded, her tone as lively as her friend’s. “I don’t think I’d have the confidence, or the body for that matter, to pull off such extravaganzas.”

“You’re gorgeous Sakura,” Ino countered, her eyebrows drawing together. 

The pinkette looked up at her friend, a soft smile on her features.

“Thank you Ino, I think I needed that,” Her smile grew into a genuine expression of gratefulness.

“Doesn’t Kiba tell you?” the blond woman inquired, worried.

“Yeah of course, but I haven’t seen him as much lately,” Sakura answered, her eyes casting downwards.

“Oh?”  _ I’ll have to talk with that stupid man on Monday,  _ Ino thought angrily. No one was allowed to make her best friend feel that way. “Is everything alright, between the two of you?”

“Yeah, he’s sweet and perfect. When I’m with him, I feel content... Like I couldn’t have a better and more wonderful person in my life,” Sakura started, smiling at Ino, but her eyes falling back down to the shaggy grey carpet only seconds afterwards. “However, when I’m not with him, I can’t help but feel like he’s being a little distant. I probably am overthinking it... He’s had a lot of trouble at work lately, with a dog giving birth to six little puppies. I think they're having difficulty adapting to the world, and he’s... In the middle of it, trying to help them survive... You know?”

“Well, I’m sure once those puppies are a little older, Kiba will be less stressed and everything will fall back into place,” Ino faked a smile.  _ What the fuck does he think he is doing? Kiba! You’re going to mess up everything, you idiot!  _ She angrily thought.

“But Ino, we’ve been together, him and I, for what? Three months? I’ve never seen where he lives, I never met any of his friends, any of his family members, he once again today, denied my offer for me to visit him at work for lunch... It's as if I am eager to let him into my life, but he won’t let me into his,” Sakura complained to her friend, hopelessness written all over her features. “He's a great boyfriend, I can’t deny how  _ happy _ I am with him, but I still feel like he doesn't feel as much for me, as I do for him.”

_ This is bad _ , ino thought. She had to have a conversation with Kiba and lady Tsunade, or the mission might fall apart.  _ I might have to go to work tomorrow after all _ , she reasoned, upset. She audibly sighed, Sakura’s features morphing into a desolate expression.  _ I’m sorry Sakura, please forgive me, but I have to lie to you... again. For your own good _ .

“Kiba is... special. But I already told you that, right before I set you two to meet.” Ino started, an ounce of truth in what she was saying. “He’s a lone dog and gets pretty territorial. I guess his line of work works well with him. He’s had a difficult upbringing. I probably shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, but he always had a hard time holding onto relationships, because of the way he grew up. To be honest, his relationship with you is the first time I’ve actually seen him try to hold onto someone. I think you are really dear to him Sakura, he just doesn’t know how to show it to you properly.”

Sakura nodded, her grin growing as bright as the sun.

“Thank you so much, Ino,” her smile grew even wider. “I’m happy you told me this. I’m also grateful he’s giving me a chance, if what you’re saying is true.” 

“Seriously, having seen him at his lowest, he seems truly happy with you.” Ino confessed, smiling back at her friend.

_ Well, _ Ino pondered.  _ That wasn’t all that bad. Most of it was the truth, if I’m being honest with myself. I just left out  _ **_some_ ** _ details... but that’s not lying? Is it?  _ She felt somewhat bad, but was mostly worried for her friend who’s heart was as fragile as a flower. Sakura was her best friend, but their relationship stood on such a precarious balance between truth and lie. Ino wanted this uncertainty to end, but she also knew it couldn’t.

Their conversations carried on as the evening progressed, the women eventually deciding that they were hungry and setting themselves on the journey of making their own pizza from scratch. It ended up surprisingly good, especially with Sakura as Ino’s sous-chef. The pink haired woman couldn’t cook and was certainly the worst in the kitchen, Ino had ever met. Still, Sakura was eager to learn and that is what made her such an entertaining person to work with on a meal.

As they both quietly sat at Ino’s round kitchen table, enjoying their slices, Sakura started talking.

“I wish I could work with you at the clinic,” she stated, after swallowing a particularly large bite of their margherita pie. “Don’t they need any nurses on duty, at your facility?”

Ino flinched and swallowed the small bite she had been munching on, with difficulty.

“No... We aren’t looking for new staff at the moment,” the blond woman spoke. “But, I’ll give them your name if they're ever looking for someone that fits your qualifications.” She smiled, the expression barely reaching her eyes.

The evening went on as they casually finished their meal and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. By the time they were done, time had flown past and it was already midnight. Watching Sakura prepare herself to leave, Ino sensed a shiver run down her spine.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” the blond woman inquired, unmistakable concern on her usually soft features. 

“Ino, I’ll be fine. I live fifteen minutes away from here, there’s nothing to worry about,” She answered her friend, gently, as she brought her damp coat over her shoulders. “Murderers won’t want to run around in that kind of weather anyways,” she joked, winning a small smirk from her friend.

“Okay, Just... Promise me you’ll stay safe and scream if someone tries to capture you,” Ino said as she embraced Sakura in a tight hug. “Your coat is really wet, Forehead.” She said eliciting a laugh from the pink haired woman. “Call me when you get home, just to be safe.” 

Sakura grinned.

“Alright Pig, stop acting like you’re my mother.”

They both started laughing, as Ino retracted her arms from around her best friend. She bent herself down, grabbing a plastic bag containing Sakura's soaked clothes and handed it to her. They hugged again, this time more briefly.

“Stay safe,” Ino repeated, pulling away from her friend’s embrace.

Sakura frowned her eyebrows, turning away to open the door. Ino wasn’t usually as distressed, when she left.  _ She probably met a client with an unfortunate story, today _ , Sakura concluded. That must have been the reason Ino was so on edge.

As the pinkette left the apartment, Ino waved her goodbye and proceeded to close the door. She slowly leaned her back against it, gradually sliding down the flat plane, until she was sitting on the ground, her knees held close to her chest. She cradled her head into her shaking hands. 

“Fuck,” she whispered, a feeling of powerlessness and grief washing over her. 

***

Sakura exited Ino’s building, and went down the concrete staircase, before starting to walk across the wet sidewalk. She was trying her best to avoid most of the dirty puddles that grew, as the fiery rain drew on her. The pinkette was walking as fast as she could, without running, and hopping on her toes each time she ran into another small pool of dirty rainwater. She felt undeniably exhausted from her evening at Ino’s, but was also delighted and relieved to have finally seen her friend. She even went as far as scolding her past self for wanting to deny Ino’s offer.

She jumped around the quiet street, her left hand in her coat’s pocket, as her right held onto the plastic bag containing her belongings, her breath creating small clouds each time she breathed out into the cold air. Sakura was lost in her thoughts, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time, half sleeping already, when she suddenly looked to her right, catching a movement in the corner of her peripheral. A shudder ran down the back of her small body. She halted her stride, looking back at the spot she had eyed, absolutely certain she had seen a movement in the shadows of one of the apartment buildings. 

Turning her body towards the direction of the movement, she examined the area carefully, but saw nothing.  _ How odd _ , she figured _ ,  _ as she turned back around in the unpleasant weather and continued on her path towards her place.  _ It must be my mind playing tricks _ , she concluded.  _ I’m so tired, Ino’s words must have gotten to me.  _ Her mind started operating however, contemplating on all the possibilities and the gory incidents that could result in her stumbling into someone with dreadful intentions. Her pace quickened, as her heart started hammering in her chest.  _ Calm. Down, Sakura _ , she reprimanded her overactive imagination, still walking speedily, not minding her feet splattering into the puddles anymore.  _ It was probably an alley cat, if anything at all _ , she tried to convince herself, barely seeing anything in front of her because of the pouring rain. She hurried her step even more, as she went around the last corner towards the street where her apartment building stood.

She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, as she swiftly made her way to her apartment building, and ran up the stairs to the main door, almost losing her footing on the last one. She  _ knew _ she was imagining it, but she couldn’t help but feel a presence looming over her. As if someone was just  _ watching _ her every move. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.  _ Get it together, Sakura _ , she prompted herself as she reached the door. She went to take out her keys from her purse, but her hands were shaking so much that the metal fell from her icy fingers and rattled at her feet. Taking another breath, Sakura slowly bent down to pick them up, looking around anxiously, before quickly grabbing them from next to her feet, hardly managing to put the key in the hole, as her whole body trembled. The door was opened in one swift motion of her wrist and Sakura briskly went into the building, the door closing right behind her as she leaned herself on it.  _ Safe _ , her mind informed her as she flicked the lock back to its initial position. Sakura kept her eyes closed, as she laid her head on the hard wooden door, her chest rising and falling with her hard breathing. She could feel her heart rate slowly calm from its hurried pounding, as she scolded herself from being so gullible.

“Damn you, Ino,” she whispered angrily, straightening herself to proceed up the stairs towards her apartment.

She easily unlocked her door, locking it back behind her, barely managing to take off her clothes before leaving them on the floor as a drenched pile of dirty fabric, as she stepped into bed completely worn out. She comfortably leaned herself into her soft mattress, burying her aching body into warm covers. Not even taking the time to brush her teeth, she laid snuggly in her bed, overwhelmed by a feeling she couldn't place. She didn’t have time to think about it however, before sleep washed over her and she drifted into slumber, her breathing evening out, until it was an almost indistinguishable sound, in her quiet apartment. 

Sakura’s phone buzzed, buried in her purse that laid on the floor, next to her dripping clothes.

_ Are you home yet?  _

_ Forehead? _

A few seconds went by, before the phone buzzed again.

_ If I don’t get a reply in the morning, I’m calling the police. _

_ Good night Sak. _

Sakura, unbothered by the hum of her phone, didn’t stir in her sleep. Her mind travelling into a state of deep slumber, she remained oblivious of the dark figure, lurking in the shadows of a nearby building.

***

Sakura breathed the fresh air of the cloudy Sunday afternoon. She had woken up the day before, to the sound of a loud knocking on her door. It had been an angry Ino, on her way to work, wanting to make sure her best friend was still alive. Of course, she had been. Ino, still a little shaken but assured of the safety of her friend, had left only minutes later, as duty was calling, leaving Sakura to spend her Saturday doing nothing remotely productive. It was for that reason, she had decided to wake up early on Sunday, so that she could actually spend some of her weekend doing something other than stay in bed and watch uninteresting reality shows, she was not a bit invested in. 

After spending most of her morning buying food in order to stack up her empty cupboards, she casually made her way up a street full of people enjoying their Sunday, her arms holding onto two reusable bags full of produce. She was about to go back to her house, but a small shop caught her eye. She had been there many times before, it was one of her favorites. A small and cozy bookstore, that was still large enough so that she had an array of volumes she could choose from, no matter her reading intentions. 

She opened the shop’s door, a small bell over her head chiming to announce that a client had just come in, and inhaled the aroma of mystery and blasting adventures that lingered in the air. Sakura loved to read, anything really. She believed it made her typical life, a tad bit more exciting. Since as far as she could recall, she had craved for wild adventures and eventful mysteries. Her little heart could still, many years later be somewhat pleased, when she could soothe this feeling of emptiness, through books and their infinity of unimaginable stories.

Sakura casually walked through the narrow rows of bricks of bound papers, looking over many covers and summaries, before at last, selecting two novels on a stack at the far end of the store, where the less popular books belonged. She merrily walked back to the front of the store and stopped in front of the register, smiling at the elderly man standing behind the large wooden counter. She paid for her two novels and thanked the man as she exited the shop, once again making the bell rattle as the door opened and then closed behind her. 

She was delighted to have found two new adventures to venture into. Sakura had already read all the books she owned and it was getting more and more difficult to quench her thirst for some kind of excitement in her life. She was the happiest she had ever been and yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was truly missing.

Sakura walked by many other little shops, stopping at some of them, once in a while to look at all the little trinkets that were being sold at unimaginably high prices. At one particular little boutique, her eye got caught once again, on a keychain she looked at every time she passed by that same little store. It was small, no bigger than a quarter with a delicate black lighting bolt charm connected to it, made out of some kind of dark stone that caught absolutely no light. It was so dark yet so beautiful and Sakura couldn’t help but look at it every time she saw it. She loathed the day it would finally be sold and she couldn’t admire it anymore. As much as she found it mesmerizing, it was undeniably too expensive for herself to buy.

She left the storefront, continuing her way back to her place, so that she could finally put away the produce she had bought that morning, and lose herself into one of her newly acquired books, wanting to make the most of the remaining hours of her weekend, before she had to go back to work in the morning.

She turned into an alleyway that was linked to the street right next to hers and started to make her way through it, her arms cramping up from having held onto heavy bags all morning. She was lost in her thoughts when she was suddenly overcome by the same eerie feeling she had felt two nights ago, when coming back from Ino’s. Sakura had brushed it off at the time, thinking it had only been her overactive imagination, so she hadn’t reflected back on it since, but she couldn’t help but sense the familiarity of it.

_ It must be my mind again _ , she told herself, not trusting her words this time, as the feeling had come out of absolutely nowhere. She fleetingly lifted her eyes, towards the top of a building, after catching a movement out of the corner of her eye, certain that it would only be birds flying away. But, she stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes met a pair of bloodshot one. Her own green orbs widened in shock, as she took in the dark figure crouched on the roof of a building, less than ten meters above her. Sakura’s hold on the bags gradually slackened as her mind and body were overcome with fear. She tried to open her mouth to scream, but it was as if someone had his hand across her throat, not constricting her from breathing, only from uttering and kind of sound. She stood there, helpless, as the bags she had been holding onto, fell to the ground, her belongings smashing into the concrete, the sound muffled to a far away thud in Sakura’s ears, at the impact. She stayed motionless, her heavy limbs frozen, even if she dreadfully wanted to run away. She was paralyzed, her eyes caught in the sinister ones above her.

As fast as her eyes had caught into the crimson ones, her legs started to fail to support her and her body quickly crumpled under her weight, crashing into the concrete of the alleyway. Her knees absorbed most of the impact, causing the fabric of her jeans to rip on the right knee. She laid powerless on the cold ground, her body stripped of any feeling, as her eyes, which were still fixated on the looming figure, shifted, her mind suddenly being overcome by darkness. 

Even if she would have wanted to, she wouldn’t have been able to stand. Her lungs ached because of her unsuccessful attempts at screaming. Her voice carrying no sound, not even the whisper of her words past her quivering lips. Her whole body felt like it was in an empty void, she couldn’t see; couldn’t hear. She was neither cold nor hot. The emptiness was painful to her mind. As all hope was lost, knowing she was being consumed by the desolation of the reality around her, she painfully, one limb at a time, brought them tight around herself, her knees next to her twitching head. She soundlessly sobbed as her mind became blank, void of any thoughts other than despair.

***

_ Warmth. _

Sakura stirred, at the pleasant feeling. She carelessly tried to move her aching limbs, but found herself unable to, as she realized she was constricted. She decided against trying to move, after recognizing she was not strong enough to fight against what was inhibiting her from her full range of movement. Noting the flowing wind caressing her face and hair, Sakura cracked her lids open the tiniest bit, her eyes stinging from the bright sun that was shining in her tired eyes. She hastily closed them back, only seconds before trying again, opening them ever so slightly so that not to blind herself again. This time, her emerald gaze was not met by the burning rays of the sun, but rather by the deepest darkest eyes she had ever laid her gaze upon. The inky orbs, as mesmerizing as they were, left hers as fast as they had come upon her green eyes. Sakura felt an implacable feeling of sorrow creep onto her heart, as she felt herself fall back into a pit of darkness, this time, peaceful instead of agonizing. As she tried to fight it off however, her gaze travelled to the back of the figure carrying her, her tired eyes momentarily catching the crimson eyed figure, far away,  _ watching _ .

***

The grim man carefully laid the woman onto her bed. Leaving the room from the window from which he had come in, he came back moments after, his hand full of the woman’s belongings he had picked up from where it had laid, scattered next to where had previously been her trembling form. He went out of the room, setting the objects on what must have been the woman’s kitchen table, before scurrying back to her side, softly placing his hand behind her head, taking a gentle hold of her soft pink curls before tilting her head back and emptying the content of a small vial, into her throat.  _ It will mend the ruptures in her mind, _ he remembered the words that had been said to him, countless years ago.  _ Act with the seal. _

***

Many hours later, the same man set foot into a dimly lit room, full of people whose faces he knew much too well. He walked past the many figures who’d been waiting for him, the soft voices silencing as he hurriedly made his way to the back of the room, violently slamming his hands on the hardwood desk that belonged to the woman he worked for. 

“He’s back,” the man hissed through his teeth.

He could hear the light shuffling and instant uneasiness of his friends, standing around him, who'd heard well and clear his statement. Whispers of astonishment echoing on the walls, quickly making their way from their mouths to his ears.

“What makes you sound so sure?” the woman inquired in her usually authoritative voice.

“I saw him,” he stated. “He almost  _ got _ to her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Please feel free to leave any comment or feedback you might have about the story.  
> They are all greatly appreciated, especially as this is my first ever fanfiction.
> 
> Thanks again and see you soon for the next chapter ;)
> 
> mocha


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello guys!  
> It's been a while!
> 
> I've bee working on this chapter for a long time now, but as finals were engulfing me in work, I wasn't able to post sooner.  
> Here it is finally! 
> 
> This one is fairly longer than the second chapter, at least twice its length, so I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Also, thank you sooooooo much to the people who left comments on the previous chapters! I loved reading all of them ;)

For the past week, Sakura's mind had been a hazy maze of haphazard thoughts. Every time she tried to perform any rational reflexion, her head would start to ache, any sense of understanding and reasoning she might have believed she had, vanishing into a numb void empty of any logic.

The first time it had happened, she had wanted to dismiss it as a sign of tiredness. Her head had started to ache, the kind of throbbing soreness at the front of her skull that only happened when she indulged in too much liquor, which had not been the case. As the strenuous doctor she was, she did not think much of it as she had resumed her workday, denying any form of illness, by putting all of her focus into the appointments she had.

Her strategy, to deceive her consciousness into thinking she was capable of performing as normal, had worked until later that Monday, when during an appointment with a regular client she had come to know quite well, her vision became blurry, giving her no choice but to find her balance on the examination table, acquiring herself a concerned look from the patient. As much as Sakura would have wanted, with all her might, to brush that off, her mind was still buzzing with confused thought, as she continued with her appointment, blaming the incident on clumsiness.

After that curious occurrence, she should have taken a break. Or at least, watched for the signs pointing towards the fact that she was not well enough to pursue her workday. But obstinate as she was, Sakura continued on and by the time her last appointment had come to be, her cheeks had been flushed a dark pink color, beads of sweat trailing down the side of her face. For that reason, it hadn't been a surprise, when she had woken up sprawled on the floor of the examination room, a dozen pairs of eyes belonging to her co-workers peering at her from above with worried expressions. It had also not been a surprise, when she had been sent home, on medical leave for the week, deemed unfit to resume her work.

For that reason, the pink haired woman had been living on autopilot for the past week and a half and no matter how hard she tried to recall what might have caused her present state, she was only met with a distant feeling of distress. As much as she had wanted to resume her normal schedule as fast as possible, faith had had different plans, as her case had only worsened through the days, to a point where even Kiba had come to check on her everyday for the past ten days, always harboring the same expression : drawn eyebrows, pursed lips and eyes brimming with concern every time they met hers. Even as her mind had been floating into this weird dazed reality, her body remained uncharacteristically jumpy, her mind persuaded that she was being observed, as if every move she made was carefully being calculated as eyes tracked her from every angle. Half the time she wasn't even sure if she was asleep or awake; her mind stuck in a confusing reality.

The few times she remembered waking up and considering her surroundings, her thoughts had been like heavy boulders, too big a burden for her to hold onto. As a fact, the pinkette couldn’t remember events that had occured the day before, let alone only hours prior. Sometimes, she would stand from the comfy fortress that was bed, with painstaking efforts, only for her to wake up on the floor of a room of her apartment, oblivious to how she had ended up there in the first place. 

As much as she would have wanted to try her best performing common everyday tasks, Kiba had bound her to her bed, the moment he had come home to her apartment one night, only to find her asleep on the floor of a random hallway in her building, her fever dangerously rising 

"As much as I know you can't stand being useless," he had whispered to her as she drifted back into her infinite slumber. "I can't have you going about and collapsing from exhaustion everywhere. What would I do if anything happened to you?" He had bent down and laid a kiss on her damp forehead. "Take care of yourself…  _ please _ . The more you rest, the sooner you'll feel better.  _ I promise _ ."

Those words, she hadn't forgotten. She knew that if ever something happened to her, Kiba would never forgive himself. Especially after the mental dilemma he faced every morning he had to leave her frail body, to go to work. He had, so many times, found her tired and feverish frame, shaken to the core by an uneasy feeling of distress. Her rational self knew that the feeling came from her sick body trying to fight off whatever was causing her poor health, but it still had such a vigorous control over her mind. 

Sakura was sure she was starting to lose her ability to think rationally. Especially, when on the fourth day, the nightmares had started. She couldn’t sleep, unless Kiba was next to her, running his calloused fingers through her soft pink locks. Even Akamaru had stopped messing with her, becoming the only thing that kept her grounded inside her wavering reality. When Kiba had to leave, he had decided to leave the dog with her, so that the furry friend could cuddle against her when he couldn’t. This in particular, showed how concerning her situation was. Kiba never went  _ anywhere _ , without his furry best friend.

Even in her current state, it was impossible for her to miss the troubled look in her boyfriend's eyes, the look that implored her to get better. As much as he was always there to whisper sweet nothing into her ears and caress her hair until she forgot about her aching body, she knew he was aware that this fight was hers only to bear, and he  _ hated _ it.

Her apartment was a complete mess, her usually untidy place could have been considered clean compared to the disgusting alcove of dirty dishes and unwashed laundry that now nested in every nook and cranny of her deplorable abode. As much as she had wanted to take care of the obscenely cluttered rooms that made up her home, and as much shame she felt, that Kiba had to live with her in the slum that was her apartment, her body just wouldn’t allow her to stand for more than a few minutes and therefore, cleaning wasn’t a possibility.

Dark crevices had appeared under her usually shiny and joyful eyes, her only source of subsistence being cups of coffee and numerous bowls of sugary cereals instead of the usually hearty meals she cooked herself with her nevertheless, dubious cooking skills. A week and a half and most of her time had been spent agonizing in her too warm covers or shivering above them. 

Putting her tenth dirty coffee cup in the sink, which was already full of half eaten cereal bowls, Sakura sighted, her eyes already closing on their own. _Tomorrow_ , she told herself for the tenth day in a row, _I’ll clean everything up tomorrow_ , she repeated, as if that would make her remember and have the power to do so. Slowly, she dragged her heavy body from the kitchen, supporting her unstable limbs on any furniture she could reach, only to fall flat on her bed and shudder at the uneasy feeling that ran down her body every time she was alone.

She waited, her head unable to formulate any other thought than its deep need for sleep, it not coming to her however, because of the insupportable throbbing in her head, waiting hours until, like every day she heard her front door creek open. The snow colored dog with which she had been cuddling with stood up and jumped down from the bed, hefty footsteps making their way to the person who had come through the front door seconds earlier. Through her dazed thoughts, Sakura heard whispers from the man she knew would come and check on her in minutes, before a whine escaped the animal the words had been directed towards. Pairs of footsteps, as Sakura had foreseen, a light one accompanied by heftier ones that scratched the wooden floor with its claws at every stride, started making their way to her room, as she tensed in her covers, her mind imagining the worse even though she knew exactly who was coming her way.

“Hey...”

She flinched.

A warm and comforting hand was placed on the bottom of her heated back. The man quietly observed the concerning way she seemed to difficulty breathe, however not saying anything about it.

“It's only me, Sak,” he continued once her breathing had dropped to a more gentle draw of her breath. Kiba kept his deep voice faint, as he lovingly rubbed her back, climbing into the bed to embrace her shivering yet burning frame. “Still feel like shit?”

She only scooted into him more as an answer. Akamaru, who had still been at the foot of the bed, jumped on the pile of hefty and soft blankets spread on her unmade bed and came to snuggle on her left side, where Kiba was not. The furry friend lovingly nuzzled his wet snout into her tangled locks and whined. Even the dog was worried about her condition and Sakura knew that she must have looked like a corpse straight out of hell.

The three of them stayed sprawled together for an amount of time Sakura would not have been able to tell. All she could conclude was that the sun had set and that almost no light was making its way into the room, apart from the bathroom light she now kept open, after a fit of paranoia a few days earlier.

Through the quiet of the night, she heard shuffling to her right, and a cold hand on her forehead. A shiver ran down her spine when she heard Kiba’s deep baritone whisper words she did not comprehend at first, his breath hot above her face.

“Hey… You're burning up sweetheart. As much as I know you are freezing, we need to get some of these layers off of you.” She felt him start to pull away some of the duvets that had been thrown over her body. The pink haired woman tried her best to cling to them, as she started shivering due to the reduced amount of heat over her body. Even as she tried with all her might to hold onto them, she was too weak and he was easily able to pull them away. She whined, a tear of desperation falling down from her left eye, to her dismay.

“Hey… shhhhhhhh,” A soft hand brushed her damp cheek. “Don’t cry. If we don’t do this, you’ll only feel worse.”

She was now sobbing like a young child, clinging to the remaining covers that were left covering her, limbs crumpled onto themselves to preserve as much body heat as she could. She felt weak... And pathetic.

Kiba rose from the bed, his gut twisting at seeing Sakura in such misery.  _ The effects of the potion are  _ **_supposed_ ** _ to last up to two weeks, _ Kiba reminded himself.  _ It’s almost over _ . He felt his shoulders sag as he bent his head down to sweetly kiss his pink haired lover on her burning forehead, repeating lady Tsunades’ words to himself, his thoughts stuck in a perpetually concerned state of mind.

_ “Nausea, exhaustion, uneasiness, muscle pain, paranoia, nightmares, amongst other things,” The blonde woman had recited not minding the furrowed brows and troubled expression emerging on the brown haired man standing in front of her. _

_ “But... Th—that didn’t happen last time!?” _

_ “Last time, we gave her a quarter dose. She had seen a kunai on her dinner table, not an assassin trying to get into her head, from a rooftop. We can’t risk anything this time,” she answered, annoyance obvious on her hard features. _

_ “What  _ **_he_ ** _ did is unfair to Sakura!” Kiba had raised his voice, starting to lose his temper. He continued through gritted teeth so as not to act too out of place. She was his superior after all. “What  _ **_right_ ** _ did he have to take such drastic decisions, without informing us— I mean... you?” _

_ “Sasuke knew what he was doing. He had orders and acted upon them. Now, stop acting like a wounded puppy and... Go. Do. Your. Job.” _

Standing up from his spot nestled against Sakura, he gritted his teeth, seeing how bad she was fairing. To him, her situation was only becoming worse and as a result, he was on edge too. No one was even talking to him anymore because of how tense he was. Even kindhearted little Hinata was scared to confront him. Only Kurenai, who was the only one who knew how not to set him off, had dared to greet him this week. When he was at the headquarters, it was a game for his friends, to try to be the most discreet they could, as he tried not to rip anyone apart, due to his increasing anxiety. The worst was that their muted judgement only set him off more and _ they knew it _ . Everything was going to shit, but only he seemed brave enough to acknowledge it. At first, he had tried to make his worries known, but had only given up when the only response to his words had been a sad look from Ino. But, even as the days went on and his terrible mood delved deeper into the realm of insanity, he still kept her on par with Sakura’s condition. He knew how much the pink haired woman meant to her and no matter how hot-tempered he might have been, he still would swallow back his pride and give her some news once in a while. It was gloomy at the compound and it was nothing to make him feel better about the situation they were in.

Kiba's hand went back to Sakura's forehead, noting how scalding it was still. He sighed, carefully brushing damp locks of hair that were stuck on the clammy skin of her face, before walking out of the room. He went to the vestibule, where next to the front door stood the wooden bench where he had flung his coat upon his arrival. He hurried his hand in the left side pocket, searching for a small glass container. When his calloused fingers found the vial, he pulled it out, its insides rattling because of the sudden movement. He unscrewed the cap of the glass container and tipped it into his palm, two little powdery tablets falling into his hand. Careful not to drop the medication, he closed back the container and put it back inside his coat pocket, before making his way to the bathroom. The light had already been open, and so he easily opened the cold water faucet, waiting for the running water to be icy, before filling the glass that usually stood next to the sink, with cold water. He then turned the knobs of the faucet closed, walking back to Sakura's bedroom, where her small frame was barely discernible amongst the mounds of blankets. 

As discreetly as he could, he made his way to the side of the bed, nudging her shoulder with the hand that had been holding the water filled glass.

“Hey… Sweetheart, I have medicine for you," he brushed the back of her head with the back of his hand. "It'll make you feel better, I promise."

Sakura slowly turned around at his words, her movements painstakingly slow, before she propped herself on her elbows, her half lidded eyes meeting Kiba's. He offered her the glass, helping her take a sip by lifting her head as carefully as he could, trying to avoid making her too uncomfortable, as she scrunched her features in disapproval. When the cold glass met her lips, her eyebrows came together, a faint whine escaping her chapped lips.

She difficulty swallowed a small sip, before the glass was removed from her lips. Her head slowly set back on the pillows, as Kiba turned around to put down the glass on her bedside table. But, it was quickly risen again by his soft palm as her lips met the two small tablets.

“Here… Just… Swallow this and then we can go to sleep," Her head was carefully tipped back even more than before, as the medicine was gently pushed past her parted lips and onto her tongue. Sakura closed her eyes as she difficulty swallowed the pills, her head gently set back down on her pillows once she had done so, a bead of sweat running down her burning forehead.

Once he was sure she had properly swallowed both tablets, Kiba slipped under the covers next to the flushed pink haired woman. He nuzzled into her hair, bringing her close, trying to lend her some of his body heat even though he knew that it wouldn't help with her fever. Still, he laid back, her burning back flush to his chest as he crossed his fingers, hoping for the medication lady Tsunade had reluctantly given him to work. Fast.

Sakura’s breathing had already evened out and he was sure she was already sleeping. But, as much as he was grateful that she was finally able to rest, he knew that it wouldn't last, because she would wake up panting in an hour or two, due to the nightmares. 

Kiba let out a slow breath, his palm going up to feel her forehead for the thousandth time that evening. His fingers delicately trailing down to stroke the side of her face, allowing himself to once again, brush the damp hair away from her soft features. 

“I’m so sorry that you have to go through this, Sakura. But… know that you are the strongest one of us." He paused. "You're… Like this... Because  _ we _ weren't worthy of  _ you _ . Please forgive me Sakura. And know this, once the pain is gone, everything will go back to what it was… And you won't be in any danger anymore.  _ I love you _ , Sakura… I always have."

At that, he carefully removed his hand from the side of her face and laid back next to her, snuggling into her small shivering form.

***

_ All she could feel, coursing through her body, from the tip of her toes to the extremities of her fingertips, in each and every fiber of her being, was immeasurable pain. Pain, so unbearable, that she was doubled over onto herself and wanted to drop down and scream in agony. Her mind was ablaze, thoughts all over the place, so that even if she tried her hardest to form any form of rationality in what she was seeing, hearing, feeling, she just couldn’t.  _

_ Eyes… Ugly yellow eyes watching her from one side of the burning room. Bloody red eyes from the other. She screamed and screamed to escape their glares, but no matter how hard she cried for help, her voice was void of any sound. She was imprisoned by the piercing glance of men she didn’t know. _

_ Wanting to escape both menacing gazes, she looked down upon herself, kneeling on what she could only assume to be the floor of the room. As her gaze travelled down however, she was met with as much of a gory scene. Blood, an infinite expanse of it. On the floor, her knees deep into it, on her clothes, on her hands, she could almost taste it. There was so much of it. She felt her eyes sting at the sight, a feeling she knew all too well and went to rub away the tears that threatened to flood her face, but she ended up smearing the red hot liquid all over her face. Panic struck her, when she felt a warm hand on her back. She turned her head to see who was the entity behind her and her shiny green orbs met the crimson ones that had seemed so menacing and far far away only seconds ago. _

_ However, upon staring at them from up close, Sakura realised how warm they actually were. Void of any atrocious intent. They were stormy and loving and more than anything… Worried. The face she was met with was not the face of an unrighteous man, but one of a boy. A boy who had seen too much. A boy who wanted to shield her from the atrocities she was witnessing. _

_ “Sakura… You have to run away from here. As fast as you can. Can you do that for me?” _

_ Sakura did not know the boy, she had never seen him before and yet, she couldn’t help but trust him. However, when Sakura didn’t answer, his tone became frantic. _

_ “Can you do it Sakura?” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little, trying to bring her back to her senses. “Can you run far far away and wait for me to come and get you?” _

_ This time, Sakura nodded her head in confirmation, with all her might, standing up on her weak legs. _

_ She started running, her body being propelled forward faster than her legs could manage, her ears full of eerie shrieks and yells coming from behind her. Panicked, she dared to look back to find the source of the sound and was taken aback by the sheer ghastliness of the scene before her. A man, standing above a whimpering woman, the blade of an inhumanely large sword buried inside her chest.  _ **_Why does that woman look so familiar?_ ** _ Sakura thought.  _ **_Why does it feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest?_ ** _ She could feel her legs moving under her, breathing constricted by a painful hurt in her chest. As her eyes travelled back to where she had been lying only seconds earlier, they were met by the decapitated form of yet another lifeless body. Once again, tears threatened to fall from her eyes, and this time, she was not able to stop them. _

_ Sakura could feel the hot slick blood slipping in between her fingers, but she knew it wasn’t hers.  _ **_Run_ ** _ , she reminded herself.  _ **_Run despite the agony in your chest. Run so that you can escape. Or else, these people will have died in vain_ ** _. _

_ As her feet made contact with the blood streaked floor, Sakura realized how the walls surrounding her, apart from being grazed by an insane amount of hungry flames, were also covered in thousands of pairs of those frightening yellow eyes. Hungry gazes crashing onto her fast moving frame, their intent nothing aside from blood thirsty. Scared out of her mind, she did not see the descending staircase and tumbled her way down the wooden stairs. Crashing at the bottom, she was overwhelmed with pain in her left leg. Sakura was hurting so bad... Everywhere. She couldn’t move anymore, but she  _ **_needed_ ** _ to, if she wanted to escape. She felt the hungry shadows of the eyes looming over her desperate entity. A hopeless cry escaped her quivering lips, anguish thick in her broken whimpers, as she felt herself cornered, void of any escape. _

_ But, as she believed any possible escape from this horrid reality had been lost, she felt a warm aura surrounding her. It felt familiar;  _ **_soft_ ** _. Stroking her entire being in a sense of comfort. As she started losing herself in the new serene glow, she felt her body lose all strength it had been holding, her small frame crashing down onto the hardwood floor as it was vacant of any resiliency. Her head was about to smash onto the floor, but the impact never came as something reached and caught it before the impact could come. _

_ Sakura’s eyes opened with the fragment of consciousness she had left, her emerald orbs instantaneously catching the crimson ones that hovered above her. _

_ Red eyes. Bloodshot, but the most gentle and familiar she had ever seen.  _

_ “You’re safe,” a distant voice uttered. “They will never get to you Sakura.  _ **_I promise_ ** _. Not as long as I’m here.” _

_ The figure cradled her head as her eyes closed on their own accord. Somehow, she knew she was safe in the arms of this crimson eyed stranger. However, even as that feeling washed over her, the ache in her chest and head were still clashing in her mind as she slowly drifted into a deep slumber. _

***

_ Red eyes. _

She gasped, thrashing in her constricting covers, and breathing heavily as she woke up from yet another nightmare. Her beating heart felt like a hammer hitting her chest every time the blood was pumped in and out. Beads of sweat were running down her forehead like a waterfall as her whole body trembled in anguish and desperation. She could see nothing in the room but a dark empty void, her eyes not yet familiar with the darkness in which she was buried. As she realised she was awake, the buzzing in her ears receded, revealing a deep voice she knew and cherished.

“—afe Sakura. Now stop this, you're gonna break my arm," Sakura felt warm hands over hers urging her finger to loosen on Kiba's arm, she hadn’t realised she had been holding onto with a deadly grip. "Everything is fine... See?" she heard shuffling next to her and seconds after, the room was plunged into a warm orange light emanating from the lamp on her bedside table. "It's just me and Akamaru… You are  _ safe _ .”

Seeing her tear streaked face, Kiba' pulled her trembling frame to his chest, caressing her hair as she sobbed quietly onto his chest. Her wails were desperate, scared, and broken. Kiba's hold on her tightened and a worried Akamaru scooted closer so that he had a paw of Sakura’s arm, wanting to comfort her too. 

Kiba carefully brought his lips to her quivering head to delicately brush a kiss on her soft pink hair. This gesture however, giving birth to a louder and more distressed wave of sobs.

“Hey, shhhhh," Kiba' lifted her head from his chest, maneuvering her head so that he could plunge his chocolate gaze into her shiny green orbs. “Don't cry like that. I promise you are safe… It was only a  _ dream _ , nothing in it was  _ real _ .”

But, as much as Sakura wanted to believe his words, she just couldn't. The moment she had woken up, nothing of her dream had remained in her memory, apart from a deep feeling of mourning and inconceivable sadness. Those feelings and the  _ red eyes _ . Eyes that seemed so familiar, a gaze she had seen before, but where? Why did they feel so much like home? Like a long lost feeling of protection; of admiration. Why were they so warm and caring? Why couldn’t she remember the face to which they belonged? Why was she only left with relics of a despicable reality, where her only clue was those eyes? Unusually crimson and yet, gorgeously mesmerizing. Full of pain, of misery, or death and yet… So, so soft. 

Sakura felt like her mind was being prodded at by invisible needles. As if it was being ripped apart by an invisible force. As if her understanding of time and space was being turned upside down into a new concept she could not recognize. She wanted to hold onto those eyes, this memory that seemed so foreign, but so real. Those eyes she felt she had seen a million times and yet, eyes to which she could never associate a face. As her breathing slowed, her head still leaning on Kiba's shoulder started to become heavy. Faster than she could have anticipated, her eyes rolled to the back of her skull and as much as she tried to stay awake; conscious, she was already too far gone and in second, she was back in a deep, deep slumber.

Watching Sakura fall back to sleep, Kiba let out a shivering breath. Her  _ situation _ was getting uncontrollable. He didn’t know what the dreams were, she wouldn’t tell him, but he knew they brought her a deep feeling of misery and he wanted to punch a certain raven haired man for being the cause of it. They could have found another way, he was certain of it. For hell, they could have just  _ brought her in to live with them _ , instead of sending her onto a winding path of agony. 

He ached for her smiles from so long ago instead of the empty eyes, void of any joy he was being offered now. He wanted her back, back to the smiling and joyous pink haired girl he had come to love. But, he also knew it was not possible. It wasn’t  _ then _ , it wouldn’t be  _ now _ . “ _ Not ever” _ were the words they had used.  _ We have to protect her, look out for her, but she can’t handle knowing. Not anymore. Not after what happened. _

Her knowing would bring her pain… And it would bring him, and all of  _ them _ , pain too.

***

Four days later, Sakura was feeling better, the dark bags that had found shelter under her eyes were receding and the last two weeks were only vague memories full of sickness, to her. She was ready to start anew, and power through her workweek that would start the day after. Especially after being off duty for two weeks, she couldn't wait to go back to the clinic and feel somewhat useful again. 

After waking up and feeling surprisingly energized and rested, Sakura had devoted her Sunday to cleaning the disgusting den of half moldy cereal bowls and dirty clothes that her apartment had become. Her place was scandalously messy and she felt very much sorry for Kiba, who had pretty much lived in this putrid nest, to take care of her for the past fourteen days. Although she was more than grateful for his company and comfort during her sickness, she couldn't blame him for being so adamant to go to work that morning, after he had had to live in such a disturbingly untidy place, for most of the past two weeks. After seeing her up and well that morning, he had been all smiles and cuddles before going to work, but had still left Akamaru with her, so that he was  _ sure  _ she wasn't alone if ever the fever and nausea ever decided to come back unexpectedly. 

Kiba, delighted to see the fever receding had even showcased a somewhat more joyful expression at work that day, to the surprise of many. Even Shikamaru, who was usually rather strategic with his interactions with the man, had deemed it safe to talk to him again, even after the incident of a few weeks ago. Kiba hadn't been expecting Sakura to fair as well as she had through the night, and was more than delighted to conclude that the potion had worked, even after his rather violent hostility towards it, and that Sakura seemed to hold no recollection of _the events_ , not even of most of the sickness itself.

While her boyfriend was rekindling with his friends, Sakura had gone through most of the cleaning she had intended to do. All of the dishes were already drying on her counter, her bed was lined with new covers, her plants were watered, her books that had been scattered everywhere, were back where they belonged in her bookshelf, all of her dirty clothes thrown into a humongous pile to bring down to wash. It was already almost evening and the last thing she had left to do was gather the mound of dirty fabric to her building's laundry room and wash them. Sakura was happy with her day's productivity and couldn't wait to start her week into a clean apartment and a well planned life.

Picking up one last pair of socks that had been slowly gathering dust under her couch, she went to her room and threw it into her clothes basket before picking it up with a grunt and exiting her apartment. As she didn't want to wait for the elevator, she went to the end of the hallway, deciding to go down the emergency staircase instead, to make her way to the basement of the building, where the laundry room was situated. Not seeing where she was going because of the mass of clothes piled in front of her eyes, she didn't see the man who had been going up and was rewarded with a deadly glare, when the bandaged headed man roughly brushed past her in the stairs. Sakura muttered an apology, not thinking much of it.

The man however, looked back behind him, watching her retreating back with a deadly glare. 

“Such a frail little thing... I wonder what you want from her my lord.”

***

Sakura’s clothes finally out of the dryer, she started taking them out of the machine, with a subtle but melodic hum. Her head was lost in many thoughts, such as the important task that was finding what take-out she would order, since she was tired and owed it to herself after her day of hard work. Taking out her favourite pair of denim out of the dryer, she was taken aback, by an important tear on the right knee. She looked over the pair, making sure she was looking at the right ones and her eyebrows cast downwards in a frown when she concluded they were the ones she had thought.

‘What the hell," she whispered to herself. "When did that happen?"

As Sakura tried to remember the last time she had worn the jeans that she loved so much, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful dizziness that shook her body, forcing her to regain her balance on the white metal machine next to her. Her right hand clutching onto the cold metal, she brought her left hand, which was still clutching on the light blue denim of her pants, to her stinging forehead. Two words had started to pound in her head. Two words she didn't know the meaning of.

_ Red eyes. _

These words… They held so much power; made her whole frame shiver. And yet, the meaning of them was unknown to Sakura. She couldn't place where they had come from, let alone why her mind had suddenly been struck with that echoing thought. Sakura clutched the cool metal of the drying machine harder as she felt her head thump, a jittery feeling creeping up her spine. She looked back at the pair of jeans, crumpled in her firm grip and wondered, when was the last time she had worn them. But, as much as she tried to recall, anything close to her sickness of two weeks was a jumbled mess of images and feelings. She at last, decided it was an impossible challenge and cursed her past self for being so careless. Sakura opted to put the pair of jeans in her laundry basket, not taking the time to fold them as she usually would, before she bent down, grabbing the load of clothes that was yet to be folded as well, cramming them as best as she could in the limited space of the white plastic basket. She closed the machine's door, with a little too much power, the metal emitting a loud clunk when it collided, making Sakura jump in surprise.

_ Red eyes. _

_ Red eyes. _

_ Red eyes. _

_ Red eyes. _

As she exited the small room, walking down the corridor back to the stairs, she couldn't help her aching head, from repeating the thought. It was as if she had something on the tip of her tongue, but it would just  _ not _ come to her. She was starting to feel uncharacteristically chilly, and decided to speed up her walk, so that she could just get to her apartment and stop her racing mind from making any foolish conclusions. 

She travelled up the stairs on her wobbly knees, as she tried to ignore the spreading ache in her head. _It must be the receding sickness_ , she thought. _There is no way I could have been all better in a day anyways._ _There's nothing to worry about_ , she told herself, forcing her mind to cool down and think rationally. _It must have been Akamaru. He's a dog… He probably just chewed on my pants._

_ But, what about the fucking red eyes? _

As she neared her locked apartment door, Sakura heard a faint but recurring sound, somewhere far away. She thought nothing of it however, until she was faced with the grey door of her place and heard the sound coming from inside.  _ What the fuck? _ Her mind started racing and trying to place all the possible reasons, such a sound could be coming out of her apartment. As the key rotated in the lock and the door opened, her mind came to an understanding of the situation. Akamaru; Akamaru was barking. 

_ Akamaru never barks. _

Panic stricken, Sakura stumbled into the apartment, dropping the basket to the floor in a hurry and closing the door loudly with her foot, as she bolted through the different rooms in order to find the dog. As she dashed through every one of them, she couldn’t find anything out of place, the barking becoming more and more concerning. Sakura finally reached her bedroom and as she came through the threshold of the open door, she finally saw the white mass of fluffy hair, mounted on her bed in all his glorious height, barking intently at her open window.  _ What?  _ Akamaru was not the kind of dog to bark at people outside… Not even birds could get a reaction out of him. If Sakura was honest with herself, he was the most calm and friendly dog she had even met. So why would he be barking now? What was going on?

The pink haired woman walked her way to the window, looking out of it. As Akamaru was made aware of her presence, he stopped barking and hastily jumped down from his spot on her now crumpled covers, making his way next to her and pushing her towards the window with his snout.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” Sakura asked the nervous dog, patting his head as she was scooted forward by his unthinkable strength. “Is something wrong with the wind—Hey! Slow down! You’re gonna make me fall over!”

Akamaru pushed Sakura flush against the windowsill and satisfied with her emplacement, he went to sit next to her confused form, intent written all over his furry features. But, as Sakura stayed motionless, the dog looked at Sakura, at the window and back at Sakura, before proceeding to howl.

“You want me to close it?”

The dog howled again, as if what he was trying to tell her was the most obvious thing in the world. Sakura, however, was at a loss. She reached for the open panels, closing them in one swift movement and locking them, her gaze falling onto the dog to ask him non-verbally, if this was what he had wanted her to do.

The dog still looked on edge however, as if she was missing something and he was becoming desperate. _ Kiba, why aren’t you here, the  _ **_one_ ** _ time your dog is acting up? _ She scolded her boyfriend mentally.

Both the woman and the furry creature looked intently into each other's gazes, until the eye contact was broken by the dog as he hastily turned his head towards the bedroom door, his ears picking up on some sound, shifting on his head.

“Wha—,” Sakura started, but was cut off almost instantly, by a loud growl coming from Akamaru’s throat. The pinkette taken aback, took a step back as she noted the angry scowl now plastered on his usually merry features. This situation was becoming more and more bizarre.

Sakura watched the dog as he advanced towards the door in slow steady steps, baring his teeth, the growl becoming more and more menacing, as he came closer to the doorframe.

Frightened and nervous by Akamaru's ministrations, Sakura pulled out her phone to text Kiba. She sent a first short message about his unusual behavior, already typing a second one, when a subtle whistling sound made its way through the room, a stabbing pain piercing through the skin of her gut, her body propelled backwards at the impact, her cellphone slipping from her now loose fingers and clattering to the ground. The dog was next to her in a matter of seconds, alternating between whining in her hair, rubbing his nose over her face and growling with murderous intent at a figure in the doorway, Sakura could only barely discern through her blurry half lidded eyes. 

***

Patrolling.

As much as it usually was one of his favorite parts of his job, Kiba was feeling giddy at the moment. Usually he would have blamed it on the fact that Akamaru was away instead of by his side as always, but he knew deep down that the heavy boulder weighing him down was because he had left Sakura alone. It was already dark outside and he was usually back by then. However, duty was calling; there had been sightings and they had to investigate. He knew she would be alright, but as much as she had seemed like she had felt better, he couldn't deny how worried her situation of the past few days had made him.  _ Dude, get it together… You can’t let yourself get distracted so easily _ , he scolded himself.  _ She's strong and independent. She'll be  _ **_fine_ ** .

His feet clattering on the tiled roof of a building however, he couldn’t keep his mind grounded on the mission. He was a mess and he knew that despite the façade he tried to put up, his blond overactive partner running a few meters in front of him, could see through it without much effort. 

_ If ever Sakura is in danger, you will know _ , he reminded himself.  _ Akamaru is with her. Now relax you fucking idiot or you’re the one who’s gonna get himself killed _ . As much as he tried to berate himself for being such a worried mess, his chest ached at the thoughts of her sweaty forehead and pained whimpers in the dark of the night as she had clutched the front of his shirt, begging him to make it stop.

To his dismay he was lost in the frantic projection of his mind’s most gory creation. His blood began to boil in fright and anger and he couldn’t place where the feeling was coming from, until it hit him like a truck when he suddenly came to a halt at the extremity of a roof, his feet almost skidding into empty space, as he had stopped his run so abruptly. He could hear his beating heart pounding loudly in his ears as his shaking right hand reached into the side pocket of his leather jacket, to pull out his phone. It could only be one person. The only person he deemed important enough to be worth having the notifications activated. For all he cared, others could wait.

Panic stricken, his eyes stayed glued on the bright locked screen that illuminated his face in the shadows of the Sunday night. He read the words three times over, before actually processing them. He hastily unlocked the phone to see that she was already typing another message. His foot tapping repeatedly on the tiles, anticipating the worst. He was left hanging. A minute passed and his brows furrowed. Another and becoming impatient, he decided to close and open back his phone completely to see if it had just not just not been working well. At the five minutes mark, Naruto was next to him, screaming nonsense in his overly sensitive ears.

“What the fuck man, you can’t just stop running like that and say nothing. And to what? Look at your phone. You know you’re not supposed to be distracted on duty. What’s your problem? You wanted me to what? Face them off alone if we ever ran int—”

“Shut up you idiot! Something’s wrong with Sakura,” the brown haired man interjected, not letting his friend finish his sentence.

“Wha—?”

“I  _ said _ , Sakura is in danger. Now stop being a stupid idiot, we gotta go,” Kiba interrupted the blond haired man once again, already turning around and running towards Sakura’s apartment building. He could feel it; Akamaru’s raging anger. And his fear; his undeniable fear.

The simple line was being jumbled over in his mind. He was trying to find a clue… Any clue as to what could have scared Akamaru.

_ Akamaru’s not feeling well, I think, I came in and he was barking at the window. _

Short, concise, void of any fucking lead as to what might have been happening. And underneath it, as if a cherry on a fucking sundae...

Three pending dots, torturing his eyes. Flashing infinitely in the down left corner of the screen.

_ Why does she live so fucking far _ ? He thought, his breathing uneven from his growing hysteria. His gut was clenching in the most agonizing fear he could ever remember being burdened with. He knew that if he wasn’t relying solely on his adrenaline to allow himself to continue propelling himself forward, he would have thrown up. He was seeing red and vowed to decapitate whatever was the cause of this growing feeling of terror, his friend close on his tail, as he swiftly darted through the buildings. 

***

Ino’s pale face was flushed. Her cheeks and forehead tinted in what the man, lying beneath her heaving frame, could only describe as the most gorgeous shade of pink. The blond haired woman sat, one leg on each side of the black haired man’s body, straddling his sweatpants clad hips, her bare chest flush against his own, as she tenderly coaxed his lips with hers. Sai’s tongue in an unexpected display of desire, dared to venture into hers as she ravaged his unusually messy locks with her dainty fingers. Enticed by the kiss they were sharing, Ino stroked her tongue against his as their bodies moved in tandem on her grey leather couch. She slowly opened her lids, her icy blue gaze falling upon her boyfriend’s delicate features, which had so many times before been void of any display of emotion. His charcoal eyes, unlike hers, were screwed shut in what Ino could only assume to be bliss. Feeling warmth spread through her chest at the precious sight, she closed her eyes back shut, deepening the kiss by leaning into it with renewed passion. His generally stiff movements had morphed into a graceful dance in which one his large hand was sprawled on the soft skin of her back, as the other held the nape of her neck gently, his fingers tenderly woven into her golden mane. At her renewed fervor, he brought himself closer and leaned into her, the hand that had been resting on her back traveling lower, until it reached her clothed bottom, earning himself a moan from his girlfriend, when he hungrily grasped it, in a pleasured impulse.

Sai immediately stiffened, his eyes darting open, startled by the noise his girlfriend had emitted.

“Ino? Are you alright? Did I hurt you just then?” Sai asked, confusion and panic apparent in his ebony eyes, as his gaze dropped to hers.

“You didn’t hurt me, Sai. The opposite, really,” She whispered sweetly, her right hand moving from behind his head to his faintly colored cheek . “I actually  _ enjoyed _ that. That’s why I… Made a sound.”

“Oh,” he said, his eyes widening at her statement. “I understand. You moan when you are sexually satisfied. However, if that is the case, how am I supposed to know if you are enjoying the act, or if I am bringing you pain?” he inquired, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

“Don’t worry Sai, if ever something is wrong, I’ll stop you and tell you immediately. But, please promise me you’ll do the same. If ever it becomes...  _ too much _ .”

The raven haired man nodded once, his gaze holding onto hers as she slowly leaned into him, satisfied with his muted response. As eager to continue as she was, he met her halfway, their soft lips grazing one another once again in renewed excitement. Sai’s hand travelled back to her backside, grasping it like before, his girlfriend gratifying him with an amused smile as her own hands went to caress his exposed chest. Completely enticed in the act, one of Sai’s legs carefully travelled between her own, to her surprise, letting out another satisfied sigh, deeper than the first one had been. Their bodies tangling themselves more and more in this precious moment, Ino attention was nowhere else than in this show of affection from a man she knew worked so hard to give her the sliver of emotions he was offering her now. For that matter, as much as she would resent herself later for that reason, she did not hear her phone buzz, on her kitchen table. And he, usually so aware of his surroundings, didn’t either as he was caught in a whirlwind of never before explored emotions. Neither of them saw, until the morning after, the four short words lighting up the colorful screen, as both were captured in a wave of raw desire.

_ Sakura is in danger. _

***

Unbelievable pain.

Sakura was doubled over, hands clutching the handle of the kunai that had embedded itself in the flesh of her abdomen. Her hands were shaking because of the immeasurable pain, her eyes menacing to roll back into her skull at any moment. Her clothes were saturated in the thick crimson liquid that slowly dripped down her wound soaking her clothes and falling one drop at a time into a steadily growing puddle at her feet. As a medic, she knew not to take it out. But, her mind, despite her knowledge, had linked the pain to the wound and she had to fight against her own will, to prevent herself from making that irreversible mistake that would surely be deadly. The weapon, as painful as its presence in her flesh was agonizing, was stopping her from bleeding out. She had to keep it in for now. No matter how awfully torturous it was.

Her ears were buzzing and she could only barely make out what was going on around her. It was making her go insane. As if her sense remaining was touch and it was sheer pain that coursed through her body in overwhelming waves.

The man before her was talking. Although, she didn’t know if it was to her, the dog or himself. Lifting her head up slightly, she could see his figure slowly make its way through the room. He was smiling. The most evil and ill witted smile she had ever seen plastered on such a young man’s face. He couldn’t have been older than sixteen and yet, this deadly expression of bloodlust was painted all over his youthful features. 

Sakura was petrified. Awestruck by the murderous demeanor of her assailant. He made eye contact with her at that moment and her knees buckled under her weight, her legs unable to sustain her trembling body anymore. She screamed in agony at the impact of her left side on the cool wooden floor. A wave of pain washing over her weak frame.

Without even realizing it, she had shrieked, the most misery coated cry she had ever uttered. Although the sound of it had only barely reached her ears, she knew she had because of the way Akamaru had lurched in front of her, as if to protect her from their attacker. As insane as it looked, the dog was adamant to protect her at all cost. Sakura started crying at the thought.

Tears streaming down her eyes, she felt powerless… Useless. She was lost, in an unbelievable event. It felt like a nightmare, but the pain was way too real for it to be.

After an especially loud wail from Sakura, and a step too close by the murderous stranger, Akamaru arched his back, preparing himself to attack as a ferocious growl left his mouth through his bared teeth. But, as he was about to pounce, the assailant dressed in what Sakura could discern as a beige tunic and a large grey scarf raised his hand in front of him. 

Before Sakura could understand the meaning of the quarter sized hole in his palm, Akamaru dropped to the ground, whimpering, as if he had been forcefully hit by an invisible force.

“Sound waves,” the raven haired man laughed, continuing to advance slowly, as if the picture in front of him was one of the most hilarious he had ever seen. “Dogs are especially sensitive to them. With their hearing being nearly twice as developed as the average human. A great advantage… But also such an unfortunate weakness.”

Sakura could hear him now, loud and clear. The pain had dulled and she could almost not feel her body anymore. Which was not a good sign. Not at all. 

She was doomed. Condemned to the painful death this wicked man had planned for her.

“P—please don’t kill me,” Sakura whispered with some of her pitiful remaining energy.

The man started laughing. A laugh that would have been so warm and inviting had it not been in this horrendous situation.

“Kill you? Oh no. I can’t do that.  _ He _ wants you alive don’t worry. Buuut… I won’t stop myself from having a little fun first,” he cruelly smirked, raw insanity visible in the look he was giving her.

The man was less than a meter away now. Looking down at her, his appalling intentions clear in the humiliating way his eyes were roaming over her crippled body.  _ I'm gonna die _ , Sakura thought.  _ I have no idea what is happening, but I’m going to die. _ Akamaru laid passed out next to her and in a last attempt to ground herself and not completely lose it, she grabbed his body, clutching it to her own. Her blood was soaking his white and soft fur as she freely sobbed into his back. The dog lifted his lids slightly, looking her in the eyes, his gaze full of regret.

Sakura was hopeless. A failure to protect herself and her companion. His suffering eyes were boring into hers and she didn’t know what was left for her to do. She was trapped. Void of any way out. Even if she would have wanted to, she couldn’t have stood, her wound was too deep, she had lost too much blood. Any chance of survival was thin as a sheet of paper. If she wanted to have any chance at making it through, she had to stay put; as scary as that sounded.

As a medic, she knew exactly what was at play. Which internal organs had been touched and which hadn’t. From her years as a medical specialist she knew that any abrupt movement could cause an uncontrollable bleeding resulting in a slow and just about inevitable death, because no one was there to save her. She was all alone.

She realized however, how her assailant hadn’t lied. He did not in fact try to kill her. His aim was too good. If he really would have tried, she knew that he could have landed a deadly shot. And yet, there she was, still whimpering, barely alive but not yet dead, under his blood thirsty glare.

She saw him tower over her, his smile an evil line on his mad features. Her eyes shut closed as she saw his hand reach downwards, towards her quivering body. The contact never came however, because as he was about to grab her arm forcefully, the window behind her shattered in millions of little shards. She screamed, a guttural scream of shear horror, little bits of glass embedding themselves in her arms and legs. She couldn’t open her eyes, terrified of the reality that would materialize in front of her helpless form. 

_ One of his allie _ s, she thought.  _ Here to get me too _ . Her tears were falling down her eyes like uncontrollable waterfalls, shaking and clutching at Akamaru for dear life. She couldn’t give up… She  _ couldn’t _ give up.

Her eyes opened in a wave of bravery. She had to do this. If not for herself, for her furry friend that was passed out in her weak arms. But, as her lids difficulty parted, she was met with an unexpected sight. A dark figure was struggling; fighting against her assailant with brutal force. The newcomer was not here to take her too then? Or he was… Just not with the other one. Confused, but entranced by the unusual dance in front of her, her eyes stayed glued on the two figures, as punches were thrown and blades were flung. She was completely in awe at the controlled flow and rapidity of all of their movement, her eyes barely catching the subtleties in their stances as they aggressively confronted each other.

As the newcomer landed an especially powerful hit at his adversary’s jaw, Sakura’s gaze caught his and she almost yelped in surprise.

_ Red eyes. _

She tried to get a better look at his face, but the moment was gone in less than a second and she was left awestruck. The red eyed figure at that moment looked as if he’d had a surge of power, his attacks coming in with renewed force and his foe eventually passed out from the strain, bloody trails running down his mangled body.

The red eyed newcomer coughed hard in his hand, blood spurting out of his mouth into his hand, as he turned his body towards Sakura’s helpless form on the cold wooden ground. He slowly dared a step towards her, her eyes growing in fear. Seeing her frightened expression, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Sakura.”

His voice was deep. Deeper than she would have expected and yet, although it had this dark undertone to it, her body unconsciously relaxed to the soothing baritone. The long ebony hair of the stranger was glued to his face, his chest heaving as he slowly took a single step forward.  _ Carefully _ , as if to test the waters; see if she would cower away.

To her surprise and his, she didn’t move, only watching him gently taking one step after the other, towards her mutilated form, still clutching at the dog who now harbored bright red fur on the side where Sakura was holding him. The pink haired woman was captivated by his crimson eyes. They held such pain; such sadness. And yet, they were so loving, so soft, so kind .

Arriving in front of her, he crouched. His frame now hovering over her. She felt Akamaru being tugged away from her frail arms and she whimpered, trying to hold onto him as the red eyed man unclasped her fingers from around his inert body.

“Do—don’t hurt—t him... I be—begg y—,” Sakura tried to utter, her voice shaking.

“I will not hurt him, Sakura. I just need to move him so that I can look at your wound. You are badly hurt.”

The dog was then completely pulled away from her, cradled in the red eyed man’s arms. He slowly stood, taking the time to gently put the inanimate form on her glass littered bed, before coming back next to her and slowly turning her on her back, so that he could assimilate the damage.

She whimpered at the movement, pain shooting from her abdomen through her whole body. Waves of white agony clouding her vision, as his eyes stayed glued onto hers. His mouth opened to say something, but he was suddenly propelled backwards, a dark form bouncing onto him with inhuman force.

“How dare you put your filthy hands on her!” She heard the dark figure growl as both fought in a tangled mess of limbs on the floor.

From her spot on the wooden ground, Sakura couldn’t help but feel her heart pummel in her chest at the sight. She didn’t know who was losing or winning. Purple sparks were sizzling above their bodies and blood spluttered in every direction. While the first fight had been conscious, every move thought about strategically, this one was beastly and feral. As if they were fighting out of pure rage.

The red eyed man fought savagely and was eventually able to get away. Looking back and meeting Sakura’s gaze, he jumped out of the window, disappearing in the shadows of the buildings.

At that moment, another figure entered the room, this time, one she knew way too well, who almost crashed into the dark figure that had fought the red eyed man, on his way to follow him out of the window.

“Naruto went after him,” Kiba stated, brushing past the man and throwing himself next to Sakura, his brown eyes boring into hers, worry and pain written all over his hard features.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck, I’m so sorry Sakura I—it’s all my fault. I should have been here to protect you.”

Panic was clear on his features, his brows furrowed in horror as his eyes scanned her bloody body and discovered the gash in her abdomen, still slowly leaking blood and saturating her soaked shirt.

Kiba looked around him, helpless and was about to open his mouth to talk, when the dark figure crouched beside him

“Move, dog breath.”

“What’s your problem dude! She doesn’t fucking know you. Fuck off,” Kiba countered, anger creasing his forehead.

“You have Akamaru to take care of. Now move,” the dark figure growled, before Kiba stood up in bewilderment and annoyance. “I run faster anyways, and she’s in need of immediate medical care.”

At those words, Kiba grumbled, stepping back to let the dark figure hover over Sakura’s form, her eyes half lidded from exhaustion. She raised her head an inch, to see the figure over her better and was stunned by the crimson color or the eyes that were staring into hers, as if boring into her soul. She drew her eyebrows together as she felt her body shuffle and slowly rise up in a strong pair of arms

“Sakura”

That voice… That tone. Where had she heard it before? Why did she feel like she knew some of these strangers? Why was she so lost and yet had never felt more at home than in the arms of this crimson eyed intruder? Tears welled in her eyes at the sheer familiarity of the low baritone, pronouncing the syllables of her name as if they were prayers. 

“You need to open your eyes.”

Sakura hadn’t realized she had closed them. Her breathing was shallow, she could feel the pain in all of her chest every time she took a breath. She tried, for the sake of the person holding her, to crack her lids open, green orbs eventually catching the red ones again. They looked so much like the others. The eyes from the man he had fought. Who were all these people? How could they all know her, and what did they want from her?

As her eyes bore into his, Sakura felt as if time had stopped. His eyes slowly shifted, the color melting away, replacing the flaming red with two blackholes. Sakura was startled. They were the darkest orbs she had ever seen and yet, the most beautiful gaze she had ever laid her own eyes upon. Those eyes. They made her heart lurch. She felt  _ safe _ . But, the concern in them was palpable, as if he was in pain just by looking at her. 

“We ought to go or else she might not make it,” the chest of the person holding her vibrated as the words left his mouth. His eyes had left hers to look up at his ally.

“Ki—ba…?” she croaked.

“Hey Sak.. I’m here,” She saw Kiba smile softly as he came to stand next to her, his right hand holding onto a limp Akamaru as his left rose to brush a warm hand on her damp cheek. His chocolate gaze soon left her emerald one however, as he lifted his eyes to look at the onyx ones with the most serious expression she had ever seen him put up.

“Just.. Make sure she makes it back,” Kiba’s voice cracked. “Don—don’t let her die, Sasuke.”

The man holding her nodded once.

_ Sasuke _ . Why was that name familiar? where had she heard it before? Her insides burned with a feeling she had never felt before. It felt so mundane. A mere name and yet, it held so much power.

“Sa—suke..” She breathed, the arms holding her tightening as her vision blackened into an infinite void of nothingness, the pain slowly fading, leaving her unaware of the chaos around her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it for the third chapter, I hope you all enjoyed reading.  
> This was by no doubt my favorite one to write.
> 
> Don't be shy to leave any comment or feedback, they are all super gratifying and I love reading them so much :D
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> mocha


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